I actually thought Ride the Lightning was one of the coolest covers I had ever seen.
In Dec 1984, I bought that album without hearing a single note. It was on the "New Release" rack at the record store, and I thought the cover and the name of the band were the coolest thing I had ever seen or heard.
That turned out to be a wise purchase. Even though no one I knew would hear about them for another year and a half.